005 – Claude VonStroke

For Crack’s fifth mix in the Crackcast series we struck gold with Dirtybird Records boss and don of hip-shaking bass-house, Claude VonStroke. A colossal player in the scene, and head of one of the most influential labels to ever emerge in dance music, Claude’s trademark sound has been tearing up dance floors and influencing other DJs since stellar tracks The Whistler andWho’s Afraid Of Detroit dramatically announced his arrival in 2005.

Since then, VonStroke has gone on to champion the likes of Justin and Christian Martin, J Phlip, Worthy, Catz’n’Dogz, Tim Green, Style of Eye and Julio Bashmore. From soaring tech-house, to wobbly basslines always laced with a deep-rooted sense of fun, Dirtybird has become a revered name for dance music fans around the world and this mix delivered exactly the kind of sound you’d expect.

From bumping, jacking house, to ludicrous samples and from booty-shaking grooves to addictive basslines, the VonStroke imprint has never taken itself too seriously but has retained the autonomy and credibility usually reserved for older labels. The sound deployed in this mix is reflective of this mantra and contains a number of unreleased records.